Prices to Pay
by Plethora of Imagination
Summary: 'Life isn't Fair, Mr.Alchemist! So pick which route to go, life or death' It didn't take Ed more than a few seconds to choose, for he wasn't doing this for himself. He was doing it for Alphonse.  'I want to die.' Rated T for Ed and Tony, and some blood.
1. Chapter 1

_**Prices to Pay  
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_**Chapter one: Life to Death, from Death to Life  
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_"You died."_

_He glared up at Truth, hand clenched as his golden eyes flared in rage. "And you lost."_

_The boy did not answer, but his form shook in anger, wanting to really deck the little bastard right then and there. Especially when Truth said, "Again. A shame, this time you weren't even able to see your little brother with his body back...Did it hurt?"_

_"_Did it hurt? _It was a fucking bullet!" Ed snarled. "And with the fact that I never got the chance to see him healthy again instead of just skin and bones makes the pain even worse! Yes it hurt!" For a moment, Ed thought he actually stumped the Truth, seeing the being's feral grin slacken to a frown. But then, he remembered: _no one _knew more than Truth. As Truth regained his sick little twisted grin, Ed's face slowly drew into a look of horror._

_"Will it hurt even more when you learn of what your brother tried to do?"_

_Ed's heart grew cold, eyes widening. "What did he.." he didn't finish the sentence, for he already knew the answer. "He didn't.."_

_"Oh, but he _did_," Truth said excitedly, an air of amusement around the powerful being. "He committed the greatest sin, the sin that made you become my _favorite _toy. He tried to raise you from the dead. But, as you can see...I'm still trying to decide..."_

_"Decide on what? Let the bullet do me in or let me jump back into life?" Ed growled. The Truth shook his head._

_"This time, _you'll _decide."_

_Edward was shocked. _He, Edward Elric, _a fifteen-year-old boy got to decide his fate for _Truth_? Hell, he would of thought it was a dream if that same feeling wasn't there. His mind tingled around the knowledge that lingered in his brain, most likely soon to be emptied of all of his worries and regrets if chose the path to death. But then, he realized. Equivalent Exchange was always to be committed in god's domain._

_"What's the price?"_

_Truth laughed. "You're a smart plaything, . If only the very few others that I had offered such a decision were that intelligent.."_

_Ed made no movement or sign of response, so Truth continued. "If you live, your brother has to take your place. If you die, your brother will be left alone. But for _you_...you'll be the reason for the price he does not know about."_

_"Which is?"_

_"The fact that your brother _knows _you are not entirely dead, but yet not even being able to see you ever again."_

_Ed stared at him. Then he snarled, "How could you do that to Al? Al has to go through more pain than I do! That's not fair!"_

_"Unfortunately, life isn't fair either, Mr. Al-che-mist," Truth sang. "I thought we went over that almost seven years ago. Now, which path will it be? Life or death? Pain or rest?"_

_Ed didn't have trouble making the final decision for himself. It was Alphonse he was worried about. His little brother had to pay a price that Ed will never have to pay, it made Edward feel sickened and furious at Truth. But he knew, he always knew that if it weren't for him, Ed, they wouldn't have been in the state they were in in the first place. Al was better off without his elder brother screwing his life over so many times._

_"I want to die."_

"First Lieutenant Mark Forrester, age 26, single with only a mother who's over in Maryland. Was last seen yesterday by his mother when he came to visit. Single, no kids, was planned to be shipped out in a week."

Gibbs stood over the body lying in the tall grass in front of him, Ducky bent down to examine the deceased with Palmer at his side. McGee was interrogating the people who found the body, a group of hikers, Tony giving him the information on the late First Lieutenant and Ziva was looking around the area for any possible clues to what could of happened there. Gibbs told Tony to go look around with Ziva before bending down next to the two autopsy specialists and asked, "Got anything, Duck?"

"Well, as you can see here, Jethro, this young man seemed to have quite a bump on his head," Duck told him, carefully holding up the dead man's head up to show the bump on his head, as well as some deep purple bruises splotched all over his forehead. "Something hit him hard enough to knock him out and...well, what is that?"

Gibbs looked up to where Ducky was pointing and saw that there was small streaks of blood on the tree where the body was found lying on it's roots. "It seems like the impact with the tree had been the fatal blow. I'll have a better look at him once I get him onto the Autopsy table, now Mr. Palmer, if you will help me...", Jimmy nodded and helped the elder man wrap up the body in the body bag. Gibbs was taking a couple of steps back to give them some space when McGee trotted up to him.

"The hikers say they had seen no one here, but they heard some yells from up here and they went to investigate, only to find Forrester."

"That must mean they just missed the killer," Gibbs assumed, his gaze scanning the surrounding area. "Which means, if we're fast enough we'll be able to catch up with him."

"But Boss, Forrester died over six hours ago. The killer is probably far off by now-"

"Or he's still here."

They turned to see Ziva standing there near the bushes, hand pointing at something on the grould. They hurried over to where she was standing to look at what she was pointing.

A trail of blood. "Is DiNozzo following this trail?" Gibbs questioned Ziva. The Israeli nodded, starting to follow the trail with her partners following closely, careful to not step on the blood drops. McGee was taking pictures, each picture taken with a loud followed the trail for what seemed forever, sometimes even thinking they've lost a trail until Ziva spots another drop and leading them to their killer.

"Boss!"

The three broke into a run, reaching their weapons as they went in the directions where they assumed Tony was. When they found him, they skidded to a halt. Tony was standing there, not showing any wounds of any sort, standing over a crumpled heap of red fabric and a hint of golden hair. _Is it even possible to have hair that bright? _Gibbs thought, as they edged closer to them. "How did you bring him down, Tony? Did you annoy him to death?" McGee called, still holding his gun tightly. Tony didn't answer or laugh.

"Tony...?" Ziva questioned. But then they stopped, staring at what was really lying there on the ground.

It was a boy, with golden blonde hair tied in a braid, some strands of hair already falling out from the apparent rough day he was having. But that wasn't what caught them off-guard. His right arm was gone. _Gone_, blood pooling out from wounds, staining his clothes. And the thing that shocked them the most, was that the kid's clothes weren't dyed red, they were _stained _red from his blood. Plus he was still _alive_.

"Get Duck. _Now_."

**A/N: Yeah, first FMA/NCIS fan fic ever. I had to try it out, couldn't resist xD At first I was going to have him with his automail then I thought, 'Nah, just let him keep his metal leg, arm can go again xD'. For the NCIS fans, I'm not sure if I had the characters all in Character, so tell me if they aren't, kay? Read and review please? :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Prices to Pay**

**Chapter 2: Awakening  
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"Boss, there's no way that kid could of killed Forrester. I mean, with just one _arm_? You have to be kidding me-"

"I'm not saying he _did_, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled, striding down the hospital halls in a brisk pace, Tony trotting after him. "I'm just saying he's a _suspect_."

"But _Boss_-"

"DiNozzo, what did I _just _say?" Gibbs glared at him, annoyance as well as a warning in his tone. Tony fell silent and continued to follow his boss like a dog following it's master. The uneasy silence (apart from all the beeping, sound of wheeling gurneys, and a sob from some of the doors) broke once Gibbs found the door to the kid's room. "I hope he's not as bad tempered as the nurses say," Tony muttered before a nurse came out from the door, with a few profanities being heard from inside.

_It was dark. Empty of feelings and temperature. Swirling nothingness. But didn't he just say there was no feeling in that odd place? He shook the thought away, and started when he realized that he could still _move _his head. Wasn't he dead? Corpses can't move. People can't rise from the dead. _He _can't. And he _won't_. He won't throw Al's life in the fray again just to save his own ass. Al still had a life to live, a _pure _life, something that Ed just had to screw up for him. But now everything was over, right? Al had his body back, Ed was dead...Ed was dead._

_"I'm dead."_

_He wanted it to be true, but for some reason he had a feeling that it _wasn't_. But didn't Truth promise?_

_"I'm dead. I'm dead."_

"No you're not honey. Open your eyes."

_Who was that? It sounded female; nice and warm, smooth around the edges of the voice. Almost like his mother's..._

_Dead people weren't supposed to think. Or hear things. Oh, how the hell should he know? He's dead! But...how come he still felt? This was confusing; death was confusing. But was he even dead? Dead people weren't supposed to hear things...he NEEDED to be dead._

"Honey? Dear, can you hear me?"

_Ed was afraid to answer, not wanting the answer he dreaded. If he were alive, then Al..._

Damn you Truth, _Ed thought, clenching his fist..._Fist? Clenching? _It couldn't be._

_Edward Elric wasn't dead. He was _alive_._

_Alphonse is dead._

_Al is dead._

_Al..._

"Al..." it came out as a pained groan, as Ed's senses returned to their places on his physical body, as his clenched hand tensed then relaxed. Something was itchy on his right arm...wait, _what?_ "Al...phonse...", he knew he sounded pathetic but at that moment he just didn't give a damn. He kept his eyes closed, still afraid to reveal the truth. _Damn Truth. _

"Nod if you can hear me."

_I don't want to fucking nod, lady. _But his head obeyed and leaned forward slightly before falling back onto his ,what he recently discovered, comfortable pillow. The lady's tone seemed happier the next time she spoke, in a little chirp similar to a bird's.

"Great! Now I'll be right back, I have to go see another patient. Don't do anything that you can't handle or have the strength to do. Okay?" Ed made no movement but knew that the lady trusted him, because he heard the shuffling of her shoes and the door closing softly behind her. Only then did Ed dare open his eyes.

White. Everything was so _white_, blobs and soft figures of white, ivory, pearl, whatever titles of white there was. But then, red. There was a tiny spot of red that soon turned into a little drizzled trail. It was coming from his right arm..._it was a stump_. He felt like everything stopped, even his heart seemed to skip a couple of beats before regaining it's pace, but quickening at the realization of only having _one _arm. _Where the hell did my automail go? Winry is going to maul me..._ he stopped. Winry. She'd be so pissed at him, for losing his automail and giving up Al's life for his own. What would she think? What would she say? What would Mustang say? Hawkeye? Teacher? _Al_?

_He would loathe, despise, HATE me. He should, he needs to. I deserve it. All of it. _

He hauled himself into an upright position, his back screaming in agony. _Oh yeah, almost forgot about the damn bullet that got me into this mess. _He reached behind his back to rub his back with his palm, feeling the rough fabric of the bandages, feeling damp from absorbing his blood. _Great. Can't die now. They took care of it. Damn. I wonder if they took off my auto-mail too.._ His fingers curled to rip off the bandage off his back to see how bad the wound was (not really caring how odd he would look doing so), when a lady walked in, her clothes consisting of a green-blue pair of paints and a blue baggy top with multicolored giraffes all over it. Her face was round with big blue eyes resting on high cheek bones, with her honey blonde hair tied up into a neat bun. She seemed like a very enthusiastic person, Ed thought, seeing her lips stretched into a big smile, probably trying to make her seem more nicer than she really was. But she gave off an aura that only someone with a motherly instinct would give off, so Ed immediately knew she wasn't foe. But her lips drew back and her eyes widened when she saw what he was doing.

"Oh no no no no! Don't peel it off sweetie! Your spine is a very important thing to have and we had to be very careful with it. Please don't pull it off."

"I was just checking it," Ed told her, disgruntled that wherever the hell he was, he wasn't allowed to check on his own _wounds_. But then again, Amestrian hospitals wouldn't exactly let you do that either...he shook the thought away. "It's _my _wound isn't it?"

"Well yes, but you have to let _us _do it. I'd get in trouble if I let you do that." Ed rolled his eyes but let his arm fall limp to his side, letting his head flop back on his pillow. "So does that mean I have to let _you _bastards look for my brother _for _me?"

The lady looked shocked but then slowly grew into anger. "You don't call people who help you _bastards_-"

"I can do whatever the hell I want, lady! Like right now, I'm going to go look for my brother!" Ed snarled, pushing himself up in a sitting position, eyes narrowed and glaring at the nurse. "Unless you're going to do it for me? No way in _hell _I'm going to let you look for my _own _brother!"

"But you're injured! You only have one arm! How do you think-" she stopped, sucking in a deep breath, seeming to try to calm herself. Then she said in a much more nicer tone, making Ed scoff. "Until we get you a prosthetic for your arm and you're completely healed, then you can go look-"

"That reminds me. _What the hell did you do to my auto-mail?_" Ed snapped. "The first thing I remember from being spit out here from the Gate is having my auto-mail!" She rose an eyebrow. "Your auto-what?"

"_Auto-mail_. Are you that _thick_, woman? _Auto-mail_. You'd have to be completely delirious if you don't even know the slightest thing about auto-mail!" Her expression read _clueless_, with a raised eyebrow and a somewhat _amused _look. "Do you think this is funny, woman? It's not funny when my baby brother could be _dead_ for all we know and you son-of-a-bitches are just standing around doing nothing. _Nothing_! Oh for damn sake just call up HQ and tell Coronel Bastard to just pick me up! Well, what are you waiting for?" The nurse only shook her head.

"Young man, _you _sound like the delirious one here, not me. And as far as I know of, I have no idea what HQ you're talking ab-"

"The one in East City!" Ed interjected, too impatient for her 'slow' mind to process what he was telling her.

"There _is _no East City in DC or in any of the neighboring states. Want me to go look it up?"

"WHERE are you going to LOOK IT UP!" Ed roared. "JUST LOOK AT A FUCKING MAP! IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO FIND!" The woman flinched back, shocked at how much built up frustration the boy was letting out. "UNLESS YOU'RE BLIND, MAPS ARE EASY TO READ!"

"Don't hurt yourself!" she warned, but Ed just looked even more pissed off. He _had _it. "Screw me! Right now we have to worry about _him_, my _brother_, who could possibly be _dead_-"

"Do you know why?"

"BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS A FUCKING SON-OF-A-BITCH, THAT'S WHY! Forget it! I'm going myself!" Ed flung the sheets off of his body (which were put in hospital clothing) and swung his legs around over to the side of his bed, standing up. He was looking at the wall for a split second before his body lurched forward and then his face made impact with the floor, making a loud 'thud' on the floor. He tried to push himself back up into a crouch but then he fell on his left side. For some reason he felt..._lopsided. _Starting to panic (ignoring the nurses cry of shock and calling for help) his eyes darted down to his legs.

His automail leg was gone.

"Well _shit_."

"Good afternoon, Special Agent Gibbs," the nurse greeted, a smile planted on her face as she shook hands with the Special Agent before shaking hands with Tony (And with you, Special Agent DiNozzo). Then she turned to Gibbs and informed him, "He just woke up again after we seduced him. He's calmer now but he's still a little 'fiesty', so be careful. He talks like a crazed man."

"What does he talk about, Miss..?"

"Appleton. Marie Appleton."

"So, Mrs. Appleton, what does he talk about?" Gibbs asked, Tony taking out his notepad. Mrs. Appleton shrugged.

"Random stuff. 'East City', 'HQ', 'Amestris', 'Truth', 'The Gate', all of that. I think he even mentioned some people names.."

"And they are?"

"Well..he said something about a 'Colonel Bastard', so I guess that was a nickname for someone he knew, and an 'Alphonse', his little brother. He keeps saying he's going to die or he's already dead." Tony rose a brow and an amused smirk. "Colonel Bastard? Most likely knows someone in the military..."

"Possibly our dead Lieutenant, but he's not a _Colonel_, DiNozzo. The kid must of mistakened his title..."

"But Boss, you honestly don't think that some _shorty _like him could honestly kill a full-grown man-"

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE AND I'LL BREAK OFF YOUR FEET AND STICK 'EM TO YOUR HEAD!"

**A/N: That last quote just **_**had **_**to be there, I couldn't think of anything else xD I thought that I made Ed a little OOC, but I guess I won't know until you guys READ AND REVIEW. Thanks xD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prices to Pay**

**Chapter 3: Decisions**

"Young man, they are Special Agents! You shouldn't be-"

"We can handle the runt, Miss Appleton. Don't worry," Tony told her, ignoring the kid's tick-mark and mumbled curse. The lady blushed and nodded before shuffling out of the room, closing the door behind her. They turned to face the blond, meeting the steady iron gaze of his golden orbs. Tony couldn't even believe that such a shade could exist in the entire world, but alas, there it was. The kid's hair seemed to match the color of his eyes, tied up in a ponytail making him look (in Tony's perspective) a girl. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, making the kid's gaze dart to Tony from Gibbs.

"What?"

Tony shook his head, still grinning. "Your hair, it makes you look like a girl." Gibbs slapped him on the back side of Tony's head, making his co-worker flinch at the stinging blow. The boy smirked, then returning his gaze to Gibbs. The man looked down at the boy and couldn't help but notice the bandages bounded on his right shoulder. Not wanting to interrogate the kid while standing up, he grabbed the chair the nurse was sitting on, pulled it over to the bed side, and sat himself down on it.

"So, kid, you got a name?" Gibbs asked, clasping his hands together while resting his elbows on his knees, looking in the boy's eyes. The kid narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion on his face, but he answered the question anyways, with a tone of caution in his voice as well as a firm edge.

"Major Edward Elric, State Certified Alchemist, 'Fullmetal Alchemist'."

Gibbs rose a brow, and exchanged puzzled glances with Tony before going back to 'Edward'. "State certified _alchemist_?" Gibbs said incredulously. "I don't think DC has an 'Alchemy Department', Edward. And you must be what? 14?"

"_17_," Edward growled. "And the time I got my ranking, I was _12_. I'm surprised you haven't even heard of me."

"I'm surprised our government would even let a _12-year-old _kid become a _Major_, nonetheless join the military."

"What, do you think I'm _lying_?"

"More believable than what you're telling us now," Gibbs told him. "Are you sure it's just what someone _told _you you were, not what you actually are?"

Edward frowned. "I _know_ I am a Major, _sir_. I've been in the Amestrian military for over six years, most of my co-workers would be able to confirm that I am of indeed, military status."

"_Amestrian _military?" Tony asked, bewildered. "Are you sure it's not _American?_"

Ed's gaze switched to Tony, glaring at him. "_Amestrian. Amestris. _That is the name of this country, _my _country, I assume?"

Gibbs just shook his head. "You must be out of your mind, kid. There is no such thing as _Amestris_-"

"_You _must be the one out of your head, cause there _is_." Gibbs sighed in exasperation, trying to not blow up at the kid.

"If there really is an Amestris, what is the name of it's leader?"

"Führer King Bradley," Edward mumbled. "Are you really saying that my country doesn't exist?"

Gibbs shrugged. "There's no Amestris, as far as I know of. But let's get to some other matters. Like your arm?"

"And leg."

Gibbs blinked. "What?"

"My arm _and _my leg is gone. I have no idea where the hell my arm is, but I'm pretty sure the hospital people probably took off my leg because the port is still there-"

"_Port_?" Tony frowned. Edward glared at him.

"Yes, _ports_. That's how you get auto-mail in, dumbass." Tony looked offended but yet confused, and with one look over at Gibbs, he wasn't knowing any more either.

"What is _auto-mail, _Edward?" Gibbs questioned. Edward looked back at him and groaned.

"You don't know what that is _either_? This must be some rundown town or something, to not know what auto-mail is."

Gibbs or Tony didn't answer. Edward let out a sigh before explaining, "Auto-mail is like a prosthetic, except it's made out of pure steel and the wires are connected to your nerves through the port-"

Tony interjected. "A full-steel prosthetic? Is that even possible to _create_? Nonetheless even carry?"

"Hell yeah. Otherwise I would of been finished years ago," Ed told him, looking a little irritated at the interruption. "Now will you let me _speak_?" Then the blond continued. "They were mainly used for soldiers who lost their limbs during the way, but basically _anyone _could get them, if they could pay for it, I mean. I got mine for free from my friend who's a mechanic..." his expression saddened a little at the mention of his friend. Then he looked back up and demanded, "Are you sure I'm not in Amestris and that Amestris doesn't exist?"

"Unless we find out otherwise, yes, I'm very sure," Gibbs told him. Gibbs saw something change in the boy; an emotion flashed in his eyes, the muscles in his face shifted into a look of disappointment. But then it vanished as fast as it came, the boy's cold personality returning.

"So, any other questions you wish to weasel out of me?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, many. But first...we're going to have to get you out of here. Interrogation in a hospital could easily be overheard." Ed's lips curled into a smile, a look of relief on his face.

"Finally! But I need that wicked woman to give my auto-mail leg back.."

Gibbs shook his head. "No, you don't. We'll wheel you out of here on a wheelchair and get you back to the headquarters to put you under interrogation. We'll get your leg but Duck is going to have to take a look at it first, then Abby."

"Do they know how to do the wiring and...forget it. Probably not."

Gibbs nodded. "But we won't get you out of here if you're still in bad shape.."

"Oh, screw that. I'll get better on the way. Just get me out of here!" he groaned. Tony looked amused but then he dropped the smirk when Gibbs turned to look at him.

"Sign him out and get a wheelchair. We're taking him now."

Tony blinked. "Are you serious? He's only been in here for what, a day?"

"I don't care," Edward growled. Just get me out of this joint."

"Then it's settled," Gibbs said, standing up and placing the chair back in the corner. "We're busting you out of here, kiddo."

"Hey," Edward called, just as Gibbs turned to leave. "My name isn't _kiddo_. Don't call me _Edward _either. Call me Ed. Just Ed."

"Well, 'JustEd'," Tony said with a smirk. "It's nice to meet you."

**A/N: Took longer than the last few chapters, but at least I got it finished! Shorter than usual, I'll try and make up for it next chapter.**

**Read and Review please? Pretty please? :D**


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